January, 1907

.. - ,.. .... .... i'... MAJOR GENERAL JOHN F. WESTON. UNITED STATES ABXY. JOURNAL OF THE United States Cavalry Association. - .-. VOL. XVII. JANUARY, 1907. No. 63. PORT ARTHUR. BY SECOSOLIELTESAST HESRT J. REILLI’. Swosn CAVALRY.* IRST a brief description will be given of the vicinity of F Port Arthur. Running almost due north from the harbor of Port Arthur is the valley of the Lun Ho. The Lun Ho and its tributaries drain the major part of the Shuishih valley, a valley running in a general northwesterly and southeasterly direction, about three miles to the north of Port Arthur. On the shore of the harbor, to the east of the Lun Ho and separated from it by a hill, is the “Old (official) Town” of Port Arthur, while to the west of the Lun i Ho is the “New (commercial) Town.” Between two and two and a half miles from the Old Town is a continuous chain of hills running from the Lua Ho in a general form of a semi- circle to the Yellow Sea. The peaks of this chain run from *Lieutenant Reilly had the good luck to visit Port Arthur in the fall of IWS. The article is entirely the result of his own observations. All draw- ings were made by him, and he took the photos given herewith. In his manu- script names were spelled after the Japanese pronunciation. This has been changed by the JOURNAL to the orthography adopted by the War Department. 1 The article was prepared for the Second Division, General Staff, and is here reproduced by its courtesy. I. 400 POR T A R THUR. PORT ARTHUR. 401 something over 100 meters to slightly over 200 meters. finally, running around their eastern flanks, eaters the valley Not quite three and a half miles northwest of the mouth of of the Lun Ho, by means of which it reaches Port Arthur. the Lun Ho,and about two and a half miles west of tbe river Port Arthur consists mostly of brick buildings, in the itself, is 203 Metre Hill. North of 203 Metre Hill there is a Old Town fairly close together, but in the New Town widely number of smaller hills and ridges extending for a distance scattered. The water supply came from a pumping station of about two miles. This group faces about north-north- about a mile up the Lun Ho valley and also from some west. Running south from 203 Metre Hill to the Harbor cisterns at the foot of the Sungshushan. This latter supply there is a chain of smaller hills facing in general towards was cut off by the Japanese. the west and interrupted about half way by a smali valley The hills are bare of timber, entirely uncultivated. and running east and west. Just west of the Lun Ho, starting covered with a short grass. The soil is mostly laminated near the mouth, there is a group of hills which trends towards rock in the last stages of disintegration, and while in most the northwest. Beyond the group containing 203 Metre cases it is quite soft and crumbles readily, it would be quite Hill, which is the highest in the group, is a valley running hard to work it by hand with pick and shovel. The hills as south from Louisa Bay, and extending on the west to Pigeon a rule are very steep. On most of them the angle of slope Bay, and on the east, interrupted by a few hills, to the harbor. changes abruptly in two or three places, thus making a The peninsula between Louisa and Pigeon Bay is occupied number of* military crests between the top and bottom. by a number of low hills. The southern tip of the Kuantung Though the hills are 'arranged more or less in chains, a con- Peninsula is occupied by a group of hills, the highest of tinuous ridge of any length is seldom found, the top of the which is 465 meters. The Tiger's Tail Peninsula, which chain generally terminating in a number of peaks whose forms the southeast side of the harbor, is joined to the summits are of small area. There are n great many ravines mainland by a low narrow neck of land. The peninsula is which towards the bottom of the hills become in many cases occupied by a number of hills, the highest of which is I 7 j fairly wide and almost invariably have vertical sides. The meters. The eastern side of. the entrance to the harbor is Shuishih valley, which from the hills looks like a gently formed by Golden Hill, 117 meters high. Just north of rolling plain, on closer examination is found to consist of Golden Hill and between it and the old town is the navy considerable rises and depressions and to be cut up in many yard and the basin. directions by deep ravines with fairly vertical sides. -These At the point'where the Lun Ho valley opens into the ravines not only twist and wind in such a way that in most Shuishih valley, the latter spreads out in the form of a cases it would be impracticable to enfilade them for any dis- basin about three miles wide. To the west the basin tance, but are often entirely hidden by the shape of the narrows to a little over a mile, just north of the range con- ground from observation from the hills from the south. taining 203 Metre Hill, and then spreads out again to the The soil is a rich brown loam, easy to di2 in, and reaches to shores of Louisa Bay. To the east it runs off to the I'ellow the foot of the hills. The whole valley is under cultivation, Sea in a semi-circle, in many places less than a mile across. and during the fall months is covered with millet. There North of the Shuishih valley there are various ranges of are Chinese villages scattered all over the valley; the houses hills. are of mud and afford little if any protection from fire. Uost The railroad coming from the north enters the Shuishih of them were destroyed during the siege but have since been valley at a point somewhat to the west of the center of the rebuilt. There are no forests or groves, nothing but small semi-circular line of hills to the north of Port Arthur, turns groups or isolated trees. These same remarks apply to the to the east, runs along near the foot of these hills, and valley running south from Louisa Bay. I FORT ARTHUR. 403 408 POR T A R Tff UR. from its western flank. South of it are the Hsiaoantzushan, POSITIONS OF DEFENSES. a permanent fort, and the Taantzushan. a permanent bat. tery, connected by a long line of trench and breastwork. Only those positions that took part in the land defense will 203 Metre Hill was a semi-permanent work. To its front is be described; as, with the exceptionof Golden Hill, permission a ridge called the Namakayama, while to its northeast is the to visit the coast defense positions was withheld. Starting at semi-permanent battery called Akasakayama. To the north the east flank of the circulaf chain of hills north of Port is another semi-permanent battery called the Shinhodai, while Arthur the first fortification is the line of trenches and bomb north of all is a ridge with trenches called the Takasaki. To proofs called the Sungshushan” Auxiliary. Next is the per- the south of 203 Metre Hill there are small infantry redoubts manent Sungshushan Fort. On the next spur is the Erh- on the hill tops until the Taiyangkou Forts, permanent works, lungshan Fort, a permanent work. The Sungshushan and are reached. Along the sea the hill tops ate occupied by Erhlungshan are connected by a line of trench, the old permanent and semi-permanent works, mostly batteries. At Chinese wall. From the Erhlungshan there is a line of the head of the Lun Ho valley, just south of Shuishih village breastwork and trench running up over the Hachimakiyama on a small rise of ground called the Turban, there is a group and Panlungshan to Wangtai ; on top of each of these three of semi permanent redoubts called by the Japanese A B tk C, hills there is a semi-permanent battery. or Temple Forts. To the east and somewhat to the south of At the foot of these hills on small spurs are semi-perma- Shuishih village is a semi-permanent redoubt called Kuro- nent redoubts in the following order from west to east: patkin. Takushan. a hill about one and one-half miles across Hachimakiyama. the West Panlungshan. ’‘ H ” redoubt, Pan- the Shuishih valley from the Tungchikuanshan. was occupied luogshan East, and the *‘P*’or Ichinohe redoubt which is about by a couple of redoubts. Those hills to which there was more at the foot of Wangtai and was named Ichinohe in honor of than one military crest had trenches along one or more of the its captor, the Japanese General Ichinohe. From Wangtai lower of these crests. From the northernmost Taiyangkou there is a continuous line of breastwork to the Tungchi- Fort across the valley to the Taantzushan there is a contin- kuanshan (Keikwan), on which are two two-gun semi-perma- uous line of parapet with a deep ditch. As the Taantzu- nent batteries connected by a breastwork. On a spur to the shan and Hsiaoantzushan Forts arg connected by a continuous south and east of 61P*’redoubt is a permanent work called breastwork, this series of works made a second and inner line the North Tungchikuanshan Fort.

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